Lord Sheikh asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether there is evidence that radicalisation is occurring among Muslim prisoners and, if so, what action has been taken to reduce its incidence.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We recognise the risk of radicalisation in prisons, just as there are risks in the wider community. The National Offender Management Service is working closely with partner agencies to tackle all forms of extremism. Its programme of work includes gathering intelligence and establishing a clear national picture of the risk; training and awareness-raising for staff; support for Muslim chaplains in their work with those vulnerable to radicalisation; and work to research and develop appropriate interventions.
Lord Sheikh asked Her Majesty’s Government:
How many Muslim inmates are serving prison sentences for (a) violent crimes, (b) robbery, (c) sexual offences, (d) theft, and (e) terrorist offences; and what percentages of the Muslim prison population they represent.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The table below shows, at the end of April 2008, for prisons in England and Wales, the total number of immediate custodial sentenced Muslim prisoners by offence group, and the corresponding proportions of the total Muslim prison population that these represent.
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Muslims |
Percentage of total Muslim prison population |
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Office are currently working with the National Co-ordinator for Terrorist Investigations to improve the quality of data relating to those convicted under terrorist legislation and those convicted under other legislation but following a terrorist investigation. As soon as this is complete, a statistical bulletin to cover information on arrests and convictions will be published. For this reason, it is not possible to provide the specific data to answer part (e) of this Question.
Lord Sheikh asked Her Majesty’s Government:
On the most recent date for which figures are available, how many Muslim inmates were (a) on remand, and (b) serving a prison sentence; and what percentages of the prison population they represent.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): At the end of April 2008, in prisons in England and Wales, the number of Muslim prisoners on remand (untried or convicted unsentenced) was 1,662, and the number of Muslim prisoners under immediate custodial sentence was 7,340. These represent 2 per cent and 9 per cent respectively of the total prison population (82,319).
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.